Time and the Medieval Object
Sponsoring Organization(s)
Material Collective
Organizer Name
Gerry Guest, Maggie Williams
Organizer Affiliation
John Carroll Univ., William Patterson Univ.
Presider Name
Karen Overbey
Presider Affiliation
Tufts Univ.
Paper Title 1
Ductus and Duration: Physical and Sensory Engagement with Medieval Objects
Presenter 1 Name
Beth Williamson
Presenter 1 Affiliation
Univ. of Bristol
Paper Title 2
Integrated Pasts: Glencairn Museum and Hammond Castle
Presenter 2 Name
Jennifer Borland, Martha Easton
Presenter 2 Affiliation
Oklahoma State Univ., Seton Hall Univ.
Paper Title 3
Dress You Up in My Angst: Clothing in Medieval Depictions of the Past and the Problem of Historical Distance
Presenter 3 Name
Brendan Sullivan
Presenter 3 Affiliation
Institute of Fine Arts, New York Univ.
Paper Title 4
The Still Lives of Medieval Objects
Presenter 4 Name
Benjamin C. Tilghman
Presenter 4 Affiliation
Lawrence Univ.
Paper Title 5
Respondent
Presenter 5 Name
Asa Simon Mittman
Presenter 5 Affiliation
California State Univ.-Chico
Start Date
11-5-2013 1:30 PM
Session Location
Bernhard 204
Description
This session considers the complex relationship between art objects and time in the Middle Ages and beyond. It proceeds from the notion that medieval things refuse to remain fixed in single temporal moments. Instead, they reach back into the past and also anticipate their future lives through a variety of strategies, both materialist and idealist.
Medieval objects are regularly marked by a temporal instability. Ancient and foreign spolia were integrated into fine golden church furnishings and reliquaries. Composite objects made connections across time through stylistic affiliations and iconographic citations, and they were regularly altered through the addition of new components and the removal of old. They were also subject to wear and tear through ongoing use and occasional repurposing. Gifting and other changes of setting created complex genealogies mapped out over time. Medieval objects continued to exist beyond the Middle Ages, and their impact on subsequent moments in time could also be a focus for proposed papers.
Nancy M. Thompson
Time and the Medieval Object
Bernhard 204
This session considers the complex relationship between art objects and time in the Middle Ages and beyond. It proceeds from the notion that medieval things refuse to remain fixed in single temporal moments. Instead, they reach back into the past and also anticipate their future lives through a variety of strategies, both materialist and idealist.
Medieval objects are regularly marked by a temporal instability. Ancient and foreign spolia were integrated into fine golden church furnishings and reliquaries. Composite objects made connections across time through stylistic affiliations and iconographic citations, and they were regularly altered through the addition of new components and the removal of old. They were also subject to wear and tear through ongoing use and occasional repurposing. Gifting and other changes of setting created complex genealogies mapped out over time. Medieval objects continued to exist beyond the Middle Ages, and their impact on subsequent moments in time could also be a focus for proposed papers.
Nancy M. Thompson